Multiple size package display and dispenser

ABSTRACT

The display and dispenser includes a housing having two types of interior partitions. The first type are individually adjustable along the length of the top and bottom walls of the housing to vary the width of chambers within the housing which will accommodate stacks of merchandise packages. The second type are individually adjustable across the width of the top and bottom walls to vary the depth of the chambers. One partition of each type may be arranged as a unit having an L-shaped cross section, each such unit being slidable along any of a series of parallel guides carried by the housing top and bottom walls. The lower edge of the front wall of the housing is spaced above the bottom wall to permit the lowermost package in each stack to be removed, and each partition of the second type carries means for maintaining the lowermost package partially through the space so that it may readily be grasped and removed. One side wall of the housing is movable to permit insertion of the partitions, and the housing cover is movable to permit filling the chambers with merchandise.

United States Patent J aquish July 4, 1972 [54] MULTIPLE SIZE PACKAGE DISPLAY AND DISPENSER [72] Inventor: John Jaquish, Brooklyn, NY.

[73] Assignee: Trans-World Display Corporation 2,272,682 2/1942 Srodulski ..3 12/42 2,208,470 7/1940 Olund..... ....22l/92 X 2,462,816 2/1949 Scher ..221/92 X FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 1,340,938 9/1963 France ..21 1/49 D Netherlands...

Primary ExaminerRobert B. Reeves Assistant Examiner-Thomas L. Kocovsky Att0rney-Breitenfeld & Levine ABSTRACT The display and dispenser includes a housing having two types of interior partitions. The first type are individually adjustable along the length of the top and bottom walls of the housing to vary the width of chambers within the housing which will accommodate stacks of merchandise packages. The second type are individually adjustable across the width of the top and bottom walls to vary the depth of the chambers. One partition of each type may be arranged as a unit having an L-shaped cross section, each such unit being slidable along any of a series of parallel guides carried by the housing top and bottom walls. The lower edge of the front wall of the housing is spaced above the bottom wall to permit the lowermost package in each stack to be removed, and each partition of the second type carries means for maintaining the lowermost package partially through the space so that it may readily be grasped and removed, One side wall of the housing is movable to permit insertion of the partitions, and the housing cover is movable to permit filling the chambers with merchandise.

1] Claims, 7 Drawing Figures PATENTmJumwn 3.574.175

' SHEET 10F 3 INVENTOR 2 JOHN ixrqw/s/r ATTORNEYS This invention relates to devices for displaying and dispensing merchandise packages, and more particularly to such devices used in connection with packages having dimensions which differ from one another.

An example of the type of merchandise with which the present invention is useful is photographic film, since such film is packaged in a wide variety of different size boxes. Nevertheless, it is obviously desirable for a retailer of such merchandise to have a single place for storage and display of his stock of film, and from which boxes of film may be conveniently removed as they are sold.

While it is no great problem to provide a dispenser for holding a stack of boxes all of the same size, and similarly a dispenser for holding stacks of different size boxes side by side can readily be provided, a problem is presented when it is understood that different retailers stock difierent quantities of photographic film, and different quantities of various sizes of film. Hence, a dispenser adapted to accommodate a certain number of boxes of each size may perform well for one retailer but be completely inadequate for another. Furthermore, at different times of the year the same retailer may sell more of one type film than another, and hence may wish to stock different quantities of the same size film.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a display and dispenser which is completely versatile in that it can be readily adjusted to accommodate various quantities of various size merchandise packages.

It is another object of the invention to provide such a device wherein the chambers which accommodate stacks of merchandise containers are adjustable in width and in depth, so that containers in each stack are maintained in a neat vertical arrangement and the front faces of substantially all the containers in all the stacks are maintained in a flush relationship.

It is a further object of the invention to provide such a device in which partitions, defining the chambers for accommodating the stacks of merchandise, may be maneuvered into a variety of positions of adjustment without the need for tools or special skill.

It is an additional object of the invention to provide such a device which may be replenished with merchandise without disturbing the adjustments of the partitions.

It is still another object of the invention to provide such a device wherein the lowermost package in each stack is automatically moved forwardly to partially remove it from beneath the stack so as to facilitate its complete removal when needed for sale.

Although the display and dispenser of this invention has been described above, and will be described below, in connection with boxes of photographic film, it is to be understood that the invention has much wider utility and may be used in any situation in which multiple size containers are to be stored and dispensed.

Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description in which reference is made to the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a display and dispenser device according to this invention;

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the device;

FIG. 3 is a horizontal cross-sectional view taken on line 3- 3 of FIG. 2;

FIGS. 4 and 5 are fragmentary vertical cross-sectional views taken on lines 4-4 and 5-5, respectively, of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary plan view taken on line 66 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a partition unit according to the invention.

The display and dispenser chosen to illustrate the present invention comprises a housing having a bottom wall 10, a top wall 11, side walls 12 and 13, a rear wall 14, a front wall 15, and a cover indicated generally by the reference numeral l6.

A base 17 is fixed to the lower surface of bottom wall 10. In the present example, all these parts of the housing are fonned of molded plastic material. Hence, side walls 12 and 13 are shown with integral interior strengthening ribs 18 (FIGS. 1 and 3) extending along their length.

Bottom wall 10, top wall 11, side wall 12, and rear wall 14 are secured together in the fixed relationship shown in the drawings. Side wall 13, on the other hand, is hinged to rear wall 14 along one side edge of the latter, by hinge means 21 (FIG. 3). Thus, side wall 13 may be swung between the position shown in FIG. 1, in which one side of the housing is open, and the position shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, in which the housing is closed. A latch 22 (FIGS. 1, 2, and 6) pivoted to the lower edge of side wall 13 is used to maintain side wall 13 in its closed position. The latch is formed with a notch adapted to engage a pin 23 projecting downwardly from the lower surface of bottom wall 10 and formed with an enlarged head at its lower end.

Front wall 15 is a panel preferably formed of transparent material. Each of the side walls 12 and I3 is formed in its interior face, near its front edge, with a channel 24 (FIGS. 1 and 3-5) extending from the upper edge of the side wall almost to its lower edge. Channels 24 are adapted to accommodate the side edge of front wall 15. Thus, when side wall 13 is closed, front wall 15 is assembled with the remainder of the housing by sliding its side edges shown into channels 24 until the ends of the lower edge of front wall 15 engage the lower ends of channels 24. In this position, shown in FIG. 2, the lower edge 25 of front wall 15 is spaced above the bottom wall 10; this feature will be mentioned again below. 7

The cover 16 has an inverted-U cross-sectional shape. The cover is hinged at the lower edge of its rear panel 27 to the rear face of rear wall 14 by hinge means 28 (FIG. 4). Thus, cover 16 may be swung between the position shown in FIG. I, in which the portion of the top of the housing forwardly of top wall 11 is open, and the position shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, in which the housing is closed. In its closed position, the top panel 29 of cover 16 covers the entire top of the housing including top wall 11, and the cover front panel 30 covers the upper margin of front wall 15 as well as the upper ends of the front edge of side walls 12 and 13.

Top wall 1 1 could be permanently secured to the lower face of cover panel 29, so as to move with the cover. However, it is preferred that top wall 11 be separate from cover 16 and permanently aflixed to the upper edges of side wall 12 and rearwall 14, as shown in FIG. 1, for a reason mentioned below. In this latter case, the width of top wall 11 is smaller than the depth of the housing, i.e., smaller than the width of side walls 12 and 13, so that when cover 16 is opened access can be had to the interior of the housing.

The housing is intended to receive stacks of boxes, or other merchandise packages, having a variety of heights, widths, and depths. Chambers within the housing for accommodating the stacks of merchandise are defined by a plurality of vertical partition units 33, best shown in FIGS. 1 and 7. All the partition units are identical, and each includes a partition 34 and a partition 35 secured together in mutually perpendicular edgeto-edge relation, so that the unit 33 as a whole has an L- shaped cross-sectional shape. Cross pieces 36 and 37 extend horizontally from the top and bottom edges, respectively, of partition 34 across partition 35. The distance between the upper face of cross piece 36 and the lower face of cross piece 37 is slightly less than the distance between the upper face of bottom wall 10 and the lower face of top wall 11. A ramp member 39 is present in the comer where partition 35 meets cross piece 37. Partition 35 is longer than partition 34 so that its ends extend beyond the latter and define tongues 38 at the upper and lower ends of each unit 33. The entire partition unit just described may, if desired, be integrally formed of a suitable molded plastic.

The upper face of bottom wall 10 and the lower face of top wall 11 are each provided with a plurality of parallel guide grooves 41, 42, 43, and 44. Each guide groove is adapted to slidably accommodate tongues 38 of the partition units 33. Guide grooves in the top and bottom walls bearing the same reference numeral are equidistantly spaced from the rear wall 14, as can be seen by comparing FIGS. 4 and 5. In the present example, top wall 11 and bottom wall 10 are molded plastic and have an accordian-type cross-sectional shape (FIGS. 4 and to define the guide grooves. However, the top and bottom walls could be of a solid cross-sectional shape having grooves formed in only their inner opposing faces.

To insert partition units 33 into the housing, side wall 13 is opened, as shown in FIG. 1, and tongues 38 of a unit 33 are slipped into a pair of corresponding guide grooves in the bottom and top walls and 11. Thus, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the tongues 38 may be slipped into the guide grooves 43. It will be seen, therefore, that the position of adjustment of partition 35 across the width of the top and bottom housing walls is determined by the pair of corresponding guide grooves selected to accommodate tongues 38. This position of adjustment determines the spacing between partition 35 and front wall 15, and hence the depth of the merchandise chamber which is defined by the partition unit referred to. In the present example, four chamber depths are possible since four guide grooves 41-44 are furnished in each of the top and bottom walls.

The partition unit may be slid along the pair of grooves accommodating its tongues to any desired location along the lengths of those grooves. The location at which the unit 33 is finally arranged determines the spacing between partition 34 and the partition 34 of the next previous unit 33 inserted into the housing, and hence the width of the merchandise chamber which the unit referred to helps to define. Cross pieces 36 and 37 tend to stabilize the partition units by their engagement with the top and bottom walls, respectively, of the housing.

An example of the way a plurality of partition units 33 may be arranged within the housing is shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. In the example, four different types of photographic film are to be stored in the dispenser, and it is desirable to have two stacks of each type of film. The four types of film come packed in four different size boxes, identified by the reference numerals 47, 48, 49, and 50. To define the chambers for accommodating two stacks of boxes 47, two partition units 330 and 33b are inserted into the housing with their tongues 38 in guide grooves 41. In this way, partitions 35 of the two units are spaced from front wall a distance slightly greater than the depth (or length) of each box 47. Unit 33a is pushed until it reaches side wall 12, and unit 33b is located so that its partition 34 is spaced from partition 34 of unit 33a a distance slightly greater than the width of boxes 47. Next, two partition units 330 and 33d are inserted into the housing with their tongues in guide grooves 42, so that their partitions 35 are spaced from front wall 15 a distance slightly greater than the depth of each box 48. Partition 34 of unit 33c is spaced from the corresponding partition of unit 33b a distance slightly greater than the width of boxes 47, and partition 34 of unit 33d is spaced from the corresponding partition of unit 330 a distance slightly greater than the width of boxes 48. From the above description, it will be understood how the remaining partition units are arranged in appropriate positions of adjustment to define chambers for accommodating their corresponding boxes.

In general, partition units 33 need not be located in any particular order of adjustment, since obviously any unit may be located within any pair of corresponding guide grooves and at any desired distance from the previously inserted unit.

When the chambers in the housing are filled with merchandise packages, the lowermost package (see package 49 in FIG. 5) of each stack is pushed forwardly out of vertical alignment with the other packages in the stack due to the engagement of its rear edge with ramp member 39. Consequently, the forward end of the lowermost package projects through the space between bottom wall 10 and lower edge 25 of front wall 15, and forwardly beyond the front wall. This makes it easy to grasp the lowermost package and remove it from the dispenser. The spacing between the lower edge 25 of front wall 15 and bottom wall 10 is less than the combined height of two packages in any stack; hence only one package in any stack is removed from the dispenser at any one time. When it is desired to replenish the supply of packages in any chamber, cover 16 is opened, as shown in FIG. 1, and packages are slipped into their respective chambers through the opening between the front edge of top wall 1 1 and the top edge of front wall 15. Since top wall 1 1 remains stationary when cover 16 is lifted, opening of the top of the housing does not disturb the adjustment of partition units 33 engaged in guide grooves 41-44 in top wall 11.

Since the depth of each chamber can be adjusted, with a dispenser according to this invention, to be about equal to the depth of the packages it contains, the front edges of all the packages within the housing, above the lowermost package in each stack, will be flush. Furthermore, since the width of each chamber is about equal to the width of the packages it contains, the packages are supported in neat vertical stacks. Thus, the merchandise viewed through the transparent front wall 15 has a very orderly and attractive appearance.

Although each of the partitions 34 and 35 are for convenience preferably formed as parts of an integral unit, separate partitions 34 and 35 could be employed. Furthermore, although the guides are illustrated as grooves 41-44, the guides could have some other form, such as ridges adapted to engage grooves fonned in the top and bottom faces of partition units 33.

The invention has been shown and described in preferred form only, and by way of example, and many variations may be made in the invention which will still be comprised within its Spirit. It is understood, therefore, that the invention is not limited to any specific form or embodiment except insofar as such limitations are included in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A merchandise display for dispensing multiple size packages, comprising a housing having top and bottom walls, and means for defining adjustable size chambers within said housing, each chamber being adapted to accommodate a stack of packages all of the same size, said means including a plurality of individual partition units each including two mutually perpendicular partitions fixed to each other, each of said units being so arranged within said housing that one of its partitions defines a side wall of a chamber and the other of its partitions defines a back wall of the same chamber, and said units being individually positionable in different positions along the length of, and across the width of, said top and bottom walls, so that chambers corresponding in width and depth to various size packages may be established within said housing, whereby the front faces of all packages within the housing are maintained flush regardless of difl'erences in depth of the packages.

2. A merchandise display as defined in claim 1 wherein said housing includes a front wall, the spacing between said front wall and each of said partitions defining a back wall defining the depth of its respective chamber.

3. A merchandise display as defined in claim 1 including a plurality of parallel guides extending along the length of at least one of said top and bottom walls, and each of said partition units carries means for engaging any desired one of said guides at any desired point along the length of the latter.

4. A merchandise display as defined in claim 1 including a plurality of parallel grooves extending along the length of at least one of said top and bottom walls, and each of said partition units carries a tongue adapted to be accommodated within any desired one of said grooves at any desired point along the length of the latter.

5. A merchandise display as defined in claim 1 including a plurality of parallel guides extending along the length of each of said top and bottom walls, and each of said partition units carries means for engaging any desired one of said guides in said bottom wall at any desired point along the length of the latter, and each of said partition units carries means for engaging any desired one of said guides in said top wall at any desired point along the length of the latter.

6. A merchandise display as defined in claim 1 including a plurality of parallel grooves extending along the length of each of said top and bottom walls, and each of said partition units carries tongues for slidably engaging any desired one of said grooves in said bottom. wall and any desired one of said grooves in said top wall, whereby each of said partition units may be located at any point along the lengths of the grooves engaged by its tongues.

7. A merchandise display as defined in claim 1 wherein said housing includes side walls located at the ends of said top and bottom walls, at least one of said side walls being movable to open one side of said housing and permit insertion of said partition units into, and removal of said partitions from, said housing.

' 8. A merchandise display as defined in claim 1 wherein said housing includes a front wall, the lower edge of said front wall being spaced above said bottom wall a distance sufiicient to permit the lowermost package in each stack to be removed from the stack by movement forwardly through said space.

9. A merchandise display as defined in claim 8 wherein each of said partitions defining a chamber back wall is formed at its lower end with means for maintaining the lowermost package in its respective stack forwardly out of vertical alignment with the remaining packages in the stack, whereby the forward end of the lowermost package in each stack projects beneath and forwardly beyond said front wall.

10. A merchandise display as defined in claim 1 wherein said housing has a cover, said cover being movable to permit access to the upper ends of the chambers in said housing for filling the chambers with merchandise.

11. A merchandise display as defined in claim 10 wherein said housing top wall is fixed with respect to said bottom wall so that the top wall remains stationary when said cover is moved, with width of said top wall being smaller than the depth of said housing, whereby when said cover is lifted a portion of the housing top is opened to permit access to the chambers within the housing. 

1. A merchandise display for dispensing multiple size packages, comprising a housing having top and bottom walls, and means for defining adjustable size chambers within said housing, each chamber being adapted to accommodate a stack of packages all of the same size, said means including a plurality of individual partition units each including two mutually perpendicular partitions fixed to each other, each of said units being so arranged within said housing that one of its partitions defines a side wall of a chamber and the other of its partitions defines a back wall of the same chamber, and said units being individually positionable in different positions along the length of, and across the width of, said top and bottom walls, so that chambers corresponding in width and depth to various size packages may be established within said housing, whereby the front faces of all packages within the housing are maintained flush regardless of differences in depth of the packages.
 2. A merchandise display as defined in claim 1 wherein said housing includes a front wall, the spacing between said front wall and each of said partitions defining a back wall defining the depth of its respective chamber.
 3. A merchandise display as defined in claim 1 including a plurality of parallel guides extending along the length of at least one of said top and bottom walls, and each of said partition units carries means for engaging any desired one of said guides at any desired point along the length of the latter.
 4. A merchandise display as defined in claim 1 including a plurality of parallel grooves extending along the length of at least one of said top and bottom walls, and each of said partition units carries a tongue adapted to be accommodated within any desired one of said grooves at any desired point along the length of the latter.
 5. A merchandise display as defined in claim 1 including a plurality of parallel guides extending along the length of each of said top and bottom walls, and each of said partition units carries means for engaging any desired one of said guides in said bottom wall at any desired point along the length of the latter, and each of said partition units carries means for engaging any desired one of said guides in said top wall at any desired point along the length of the latter.
 6. A merchandise display as defined in claim 1 including a plurality of parallel grooves extending along the length of each of said top and bottom walls, and each of said partition units carries tongues for slidably engaging any desired one of said grooves in said bottom wall and any desired one of said grooves in said top wall, whereby each of said partition units may be located at any point along the lengths of the grooves engaged by its tongues.
 7. A merchandise display as defined in claim 1 wherein said housing includes side walls located at the ends of said top and bottom walls, at least one of said side walls being movable to open one side of said housing and permit insertion of said partition units into, and removal of said partitions from, said housing.
 8. A merchandise display as defined in claim 1 wherein said housing includes a front wall, the lower edge of said front wall being spaced above said bottom wall a distance sufficient to permit the lowermost package in each stack to be removed from the stack by movement forwardly through said space.
 9. A merchandise display as defined in claim 8 wherein each of said partitions defining a chamber back wall is formed at its lower end with means for maintaining the lowermost package in its respective stack forwardly out of vertical alignment with the remaining packages in the stack, whereby the forward end of the lowermost package in each stack projects beneath and forwardly beyond said front wall.
 10. A merchandise display as defined in claim 1 wherein said housing has a cover, said cover being movable to permit access to the upper ends of the chambers in said housing for filling the chambers with merchandise.
 11. A merchandise display as defined in claim 10 wherein said housing top wall is fixed with respect to said bottom wall so that the top wall remains stationary when said cover is moved, with width of said top wall being smaller than the depth of said housing, whereby when said cover is lifted a portion of the housing top is opened to permit access to the chambers within the housing. 